Seven killed in arson attack in northwest China amid family dispute
- Suspect arrested after trying to take his own life, police say
- Victims include couple and their three children
Police in northwest China said seven people were killed earlier this week in an arson attack linked to a family dispute, the second such act of violence in the country within days.
The dead included a couple surnamed Lu, their three children and Lu’s father and father-in-law.
Lu’s younger brother has been arrested after trying to kill himself, with police suspecting he set fire to the family home in Long county, Shaanxi province, early on Tuesday.
China closely regulates firearms, making attacks with knives, fire and home-made explosives the most common means of violence.
Meanwhile, police in Gansu province said on Wednesday that a man who suspected his wife of committing adultery was accused of killing eight people and wounding seven others with a knife in a drunken rage.
Police in Baiyin, identified the suspect as a 49-year-old, identified only by the surname Guo.
China also suffers from occasional outbreaks of mass random assaults, including knife attacks on schoolchildren and attacks on pedestrians by people who drive their vehicles up on pavements or into parks.
Many are blamed on the mentally ill or people bearing grudges, although some of the violence has been committed by separatists from the far west region of Xinjiang.